Combination sales register and game



Filed April 11 1963 INVENTORS- JACOB E. MARKLE ROBERT L WHITCWB, -R

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United States Patent 3 181 868 COMBINATION SAL ES liEGISTER AND GAME Jacob E. Markle, 1333 Dickerson Road, and Robert L. Whitcomb, In, 1714 Linden Ave., both of Nashville, Tenn.

Filed Apr. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 272,422 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-139) This invention relates generally to sales registers and recording devices and more particularly to a combination sales register and game.

The average proprietor of a business cannot be preseat at his place of business during all of the hours his establishment may be open. He must operate at least part of the time through his clerks. The proprietor can only account for the days business by an audit of the cash receipts and sales slips prepared by his clerks. This invention is designed to provide the operator with an additional assurance that all sales will be recorded during his absences.

It is intended that the invention will arouse the interest of the customer in seeing that a sales slip is made out correctly for his purchase. This interest is aroused by a game of chance related to the recording of sales. Once the customer becomes aware of the potential reward to him, he will insist on an opportunity to play the game and thus exert a coercive influence on the clerk.

It is further intended that the invention would fit in with the currently popular premium programs. The invention could prove to be an acceptable substitute or addition, to both the customer and proprietor, for the inconvenient trading stamps and the starred or colored sales slips which the customer rarely sees. Use 'of this invention will result in reduced pilferage and handling which is costly to a proprietor and allow more valuable premiums or cash refunds to his customers.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a combination sales register and game of chance which will induce additional sales while tending to reduce losses to a proprietor through fraudulent clerical entries.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a combination sales register and game of chance wherein a typical sales register is partially modified to cooperate with a special recording medium in performing the dual function of providing a proprietor with a sales register and a customer with a game of chance.

Other and incidental objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description with reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal cross section of a typical sales register.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the register.

FIG. 3 is a partial transverse section through line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 1, the invention consists of a casing 1 containing a record sheet 2 running from a storage spool 3 to a take up spool 4, passing over idler rollers 5 and 6 and support plate 7. The support plate is fixed to the casing by any suitable means such as welding. The record sheet 2 is advanced by means of any suitable mechanism which acts only in a single direction and cannot be reversed. It is here represented by the pawl and ratchet mechanism 8, which may be automatically or manually moved as by the crank 9.

One wall, herein depicted as the top wall 10, of the casing has an opening with a transparent shield 11 transposed across the opening. This shield contains an access opening 12 and preferably an opaque portion 13.

The recording sheet 2 consists of a series of longitudinally placed recording areas 14 and associated sym- Patented May 4, 1965 bols 15. The relation of these areas is here shown by 14, 14' and 14" to 15, 15', and 15". The recording sheet is advanced by the mechanism 8 a measured distance so that at any one time only two recording areas and one symbol area will be visible. The distance moved will be determined by the size of the recording area which in turn will be determined by the requirements of the business employing the invention. A second symbol will be within the opening but located under the opaque portion of the shield. The symbol associated with the recording area under the access opening will be hidden from view by the top Wall 10. The immediately preceding sales record and associated symbol will be visible but inaccessible under the transparent shield. The advancing mechanism advances the recording sheet in steps, each step revealing one recording area and one symbol. It is preferable that the shield 11 be of a length at least twice the length of one recording area and be of a width approximately equal to the width of the record sheet to facilitate the use of the apparatus.

In operation, the casing 1 is loaded with the recording tape 2 spanning the area between rolls 3 and 4 and resting on support plate 7. The support plate is so situated as to be positioned directly under the access opening 12 when the structure is ready for use. The plate is substantially larger in size than the access opening. The casing is locked by a suitable locking means 16 to prevent tampering with the recording sheet by a clerk or a customer.

The clerk records a sale on the recording area 14 of the recording sheet 2. This area has been positioned beneath the access opening 12. Support for the recording is provided by plate 7. The customer guesses a number within a specified spread. The spread is to be determined by a percentage of sales allowable for premiums. The customers guess is recorded by the clerk and by the customer on the recording area 14 to insure legibility and avoid argument as to What number had been written. The clerk then operates the advancing mechanism 8 which moves the customers guess and recorded sale to the visible but inaccessible portion of the transparent shield. The same movement of the recording tape reveals the winning symbol or number 15 associated with the recording area 14, the number 15 having been obscured from view until area 14 has been advanced under the shield 11. The movement also advances the next recording area 14 to the proper position under the access opening 12.

The opaque portion 13 of the shield 11 is an added feature to prevent arguments from arising through confusion as to the proper number to be associated with the sales and associated numerical guess entries.

The game of chance may be set up in the following manner. The spread of random numbers may be adjusted to the percentage of sales cost. For example; if guesses are allowed from 1 to 50, the sales costs may be approximately 2%; if guesses are allowable from 1 to 100, sales costs may average 1% etc. The size ofthe winning premium may be determined by the size of sale recorded. This will assure the customers attention in the recording of the sale. An erroneous, reduced sales entry, may lessen his prize if he should win.

The application of the invention is not limited to the specific register shown. It may be used in conjunction with other types of machine registers such as the automatic super market type or the simple 8 column hand pull type.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claim hereto appended. The invention 3 therefore should not be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

We claim:

A combination game and accounting register comprising a casing including a plurality of walls, a record sheet, means Within said casing to support the record sheet, means to advance the record sheet a measured distance from a rearward position to a forward position in the casing, means to prevent reverse movement of the record sheet, one wall of the casing having an opening therein, a shield attached to said Wall and disposed across the opening therein with the record sheet being positioned between the support and the shield, said shield being of transparent material and including a rearward record access opening area and a forward opaque area laterally offset from each other, said record sheet including a plurality of longitudinally spaced recording areas to be moved into alignment with the shield access open- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,214,438 1/17 Delaforge 242-673 2,169,266 8/39 Matter 359 FOREIGN PATENTS 472,472 6/52 Italy.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primar Examiner. DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner. 

